Interview: Affecto’s founder on creating careers in the technology sector

Throughout the region there a plethora of recruitment agencies in stiff competition with one another, constantly trying to establish themselves as the place to go when a company or individual is looking to find the perfect match.

As recruitment is arguably one of the most competitive sectors in business today, building a brand new agency is no easy task, but in 2014 one ambitious Sheffield-based entrepreneur welcomed the challenge and formed what is now an industry leader in technology recruitment.

Last year Daniel Koseoglu founded Affecto, a specialist recruitment agency for professional careers in technology, and with a specialist team of recruiters, the firm helps find employment for individuals across four divisions including creative, engineering, technology and enterprise.

Daniel recently spoke with Bdaily about forming Affecto, Sheffield becoming a hub for technology, and how he plans to keep the firm an industry leader.

Before Daniel established Affecto in January 2014, he worked for Shell and ran his own hospitality business. So I asked him at what point did the idea of creating a recruitment agency, specializing in the technology sector, start to become a reality?

He said: “During my time at Shell I was introduced to recruitment however, I left this role to build my hospitality business. After the hospitality company didn’™t progress as planned, I returned to recruitment as the industry is perfectly matched to my skill set, I’ve always had an interest in technology and a background in the field.

“As well as this, during time at Shell I was exposed to the technical side of engineering which has enabled me to provide sector insight at Affecto. After successfully building a reputation regionally, I was asked to set up an IT and Digital offering for a National recruitment agency. In doing this, I very quickly learnt what worked and more importantly, what didn’t and this is where I first started to develop the idea behind Affecto. I wanted to create a truly consultancy based recruitment firm based in Sheffield where we could not only represent the best talent within technology but have the ability to advise companies on the local talent markets to help build bespoke recruitment strategies.

“The process began at home, I was adamant that Affecto would adopt an organic growth strategy as the need for proper fiscal discipline is vital for a new business to start strong in the early days. Revenue from successful permanent appointments at the beginning was reinvested into the business and we started to grow.”

Daniel also explained that he chose to base Affecto’s headquarters in Sheffield because “[he’s] got local knowledge and understands the marketplace,“ which allows me to provide the best insight to support our clients and candidates. The location is also central to a number of technology hubs in the north, with links to Leeds, Nottingham and Derby.

“The city is an up-and-coming tech market place, with the tech hub announced earlier this year it is attracting more and more digital companies.”

“We are also proud to be the only specialist technology recruiter, covering our areas of expertise in the Sheffield area, ensuring we can meet the needs of any locally based technology firm as well as companies across the North and wider UK. Most recently, the Cutlers Company has announced plans to recognise the digital manufacturing sector more, as well as Tech North promoting the work and successes of Sheffield digital companies to the wider digital community and the rest of the UK.”

With Affecto recruiting across four divisions including creative, engineering, technology and enterprise, Daniel would have had to employ a specialist team who are very familiar with the sector, which did have its difficulties.

He explained: “When I started to build the team, I had a clear strategy in mind. I first wanted to add junior-mid level of experience and as we move forward into our next phase of development, we’re now looking to complete the management team. For example, I’™m joined by Kate Edmondson who brings over a decade of recruitment and 8 years specialist Technology recruitment experience.

“Due to the specialist nature of the business, it has proved tricky at times to find the right fit. This has led to us partnering with specialist Rec 2 Rec agencies in an effort to secure the right members of the team. Even though the technology sector is growing, it isn’™t fully developed yet and it is very much to down to utilising our networks and ultimately the right timing to ensure we find the right person.”

As for Affecto’s process when trying to match an individual into the right role with the right company, Daniel said: “œI have designed Affecto to work in a bespoke manner with each client, offering a holistic consultancy approach that looks at the market place, their needs and a wider vision not just on the basis of finding and matching a candidate.

“For example, we were recently introduced to a candidate with huge potential but a very broad skill set. However, upon meeting them, we instantly knew the perfect company to whom they could add significant value. Fast forward a month and the company in question have created a unique role and employed them shortly after we suggested how best they could be utilised.”

Since Affecto is in a specialist market, Daniel also commented on his long-term strategy the business will take to ensure its keeps growing and succeeding. He concluded: “To ensure we continue to grow and succeed as a start-up our main focus is to build our senior team who can in turn help and develop the more junior team members both currently and in the future.

“It is vitally important that in order to succeed I have a team that are engaged, invested and actively participate in the development of the business with the aim of educating those in the region about the digital sector in the process.”

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